Community Chronic Pain Pathway (CPP) Services

This notice is placed as a Prior Information Notice (PIN) to seek expressions of interest in being considered as the most suitable provider for the delivery of a Community Chronic Pain Pathway (CPP) Service on behalf of Frimley Integrated Care Board (ICB).

The ICB is launching the Frimley Community Chronic Pain Pathway for patients aged 18 and over with chronic pain lasting more than three months. The CPP offers early intervention, assessments, physical and psychological management, medication management, and necessary treatments. It serves those living in or registered with general practices in the Frimley ICB area, which includes Bracknell Forest, North East Hampshire & Farnham, the Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead, Slough, and Surrey Heath.

The ICB is seeking to secure a Prime Provider who has the capability and capacity to deliver a comprehensive end-to end service for the Community Chronic Pain Pathway, focusing on a therapy-led and fully integrated approach. For the Successful Provider, several key capabilities will be essential. This includes, but is not limited to:

- suitable premises across all areas of the Frimley ICS geography with capacity for sufficient face to face, with accessibility for the core 20 population areas and other populations of high need. The premises will also need to meet all relevant Faculty of Pain Medicine Core Standards (2021) for surgical interventions. - access to diagnostic testing, including (but not limited to) blood work, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and x-ray. - an experienced multidisciplinary team (MDT) to deliver a range of medical and non-medical interventions providing advice, assessment and treatment via individual and group sessions including Pain Management Programmes, Physiotherapy, Psychology, combined Physiotherapy & Psychology and Movement groups. - Multidisciplinary clinical workforce to work as a single integrated Chronic Pain team, including Nurses, Physiotherapists / Advanced Clinical Practitioners and Psychologists, each with specialisms in Chronic Pain. Also, Pharmacist or OT and Medics such as Consultant in Chronic Pain/Anaesthetics. - Interventions include soft tissue injections, ultrasound guided injections and image guided injections, Botox and Capsaicin patch, opioid tapering where appropriate and support to primary care for opioid prescribing. Surgical interventions requiring Anaesthetics. - Model to support and educate GPs is fundamental to optimise analgesia, promote self-management and to manage pain flare ups. As part of referral management, the service must ensure that all patients referred have received conservative treatment including rehabilitation support prior to acceptance within the chronic pain pathway. -The Provider will also employ the relevant administrative and operational staff to manage an effective and coordinated booking system, enabling ease of communication for referred patients. -Interoperability with existing systems (including digital) and integration between providers to deliver a single cohesive offer.

There is potential for a level of an existing waiting list held within acute trust to be moved into service scope, as additional activity.

The contract will commence 1st October 2025 until 30th September 2030, with the option to extend for up to a further two years (i.e. 30th September 2032).

The anticipated contract value is £2,610,789 per annum. This would therefore be a total contract value of £18,275,523 over the full 7-year lifetime of the contract, subject to NHS Payment Scheme’s published net annual cost uplift factor.

TUPE is likely to apply for this service. Further details will be provided at a further stage of this process, as required.

This exercise is being carried out by NHS South, Central and West Commissioning Support Unit (SCW) on behalf of the Commissioner.